Content
One of the ancient breeds of a universal trend, so to speak about cows. The origin of the breed is still controversial. It is only clear that she is not a native of the Swiss Alps. Brought to Switzerland in the 5th century AD, the Simmental breed of cows was used there as draft animals, as well as for milk and meat. Work with the Simmental breed continued until the 20th century.
Considering that one of the main sources of income for Switzerland was the production and sale of cheeses, a Simmental cow should have produced a decent amount of milk. At the same time, she had to have great endurance in order to make transitions to mountain pastures. And long treks require strong muscles. Therefore, the development of the breed along the combined path proceeded spontaneously. There was no special goal to obtain meat from the Simmentals. The Simmental breed was created by folk selection, when cows were driven into the mountains to pasture, and bulls were harnessed to carts as draft power.
The productive qualities of the breed attracted attention in other countries. After the export of the Simmental breed outside of Switzerland, numerous types of Simmental breed emerged throughout the world.Only in the USSR, crossing with Simmental bulls produced 6 meat and dairy types of cattle:
- steppe Simmental: Russian cattle + Simmental bulls;
- Ukrainian Simmental: gray steppe cattle + Simmental bulls;
- Volga Simmental: Kalmyk and Kazakh cattle + Simmental bulls;
- Ural Simmental: Siberian and Kazakh cattle + Simmental bulls;
- Siberian Simmental: Siberian and Buryat cattle + Simmental bulls;
- Far Eastern Simmental: Transbaikal and Yakut cattle + Simmental bulls.
In the USSR, Simmentals played a significant role in cattle breeding. A quarter of the total cattle population was the so-called Russian Simmental or “Simmental cow”.
In other countries, the Simmental breed developed in its own directions. And in the USA, a black variety of Simmentals even appeared.
Description of the Simmental breed of cows
The main direction of the Simmental breed today is the production of milk and meat. The Simmental type is more meat than dairy. Simmental cattle are not tall, but due to their massive body they appear very large. The height at the withers of Simmentals is 136–148 cm with an oblique body length of 160–165 cm. The chest is wide, deep, with a well-developed dewlap. The back is straight and wide. The withers are weakly expressed, smoothly turning into a powerful scruff. The neck is short, with well-developed muscles, giving the impression of a hump in bulls. The head is small. The length of the head is equal to the thickness of the neck from the upper ridge to the larynx. The loin and sacrum are straight and wide. The tail is powerful. The legs are short, powerful, and well positioned. The udder of cows is small and round.
The classic colors of Simmentals are red and red-piebald.Red color options can range from light red to brown. Piebald spots can also be present in very small quantities or cover almost the entire body, leaving only minor areas of the main color.
The photo shows an English type of Simmental bull.
Bulls mature at 5 years of age. Until this moment, they can be “affectionate calves”, and then become real killers. If a bull is left for breeding, a ring in the nasal septum becomes a mandatory attribute for it. This is the only way to stop a bull who has decided to figure out who is the head of the herd.
Exterior defects
Sagging back, narrow chest. Incorrect placement of the hind legs. Worse development of the anterior lobes of the udder compared to the hind lobes. "Fat" udder.
Productive characteristics
The weight range of this breed is quite large. An adult Simmental can weigh from 550 to 900 kg, a bull - from 850 to 1300. This depends on the direction in which the selection of a particular Simmental population was carried out. Newborn calves weigh between 35 and 45 kg. They respond well to fattening and by 6 months the live weight of the calf is already 180 - 230 kg. The difference between a heifer and a bull per year is more than 100 kg. One-year-old calves weigh from 230 to 350 kg. With proper fattening, the average daily weight gain is 0.85 - 1.1 kg per day. Each year, bull calves and cull heifers are sent to slaughter.
A series of videos of fattening bulls from 21 days to 2 months
21 – 26 days
26 – 41 days
41 days – 2 months
Simmental cows cannot boast of large milk yields. On average, a cow produces from 3.5 to 5 tons of milk per year. With good milk yield it can produce up to 6 tons.How much milk can be obtained from an animal depends on the milk yield of the parents, the quality of the feed and the diligence of the owners during milking.
The milk fat content of Simmentals can reach up to 6%. But usually it is within 4%.
But it seems that today, with the presence of other dairy breeds, Simmentals have begun to be reoriented exclusively to the meat type and the question “how much milk can you get from a Simmental” is no longer relevant.
Simmental cattle breed (new type)
Pros and cons of the breed
The advantages include high productivity in meat and dairy areas. Moreover, milk productivity directly depends on the muscle mass of the cow. Accordingly, the greater the muscle mass of the cow, the higher its milk yield. Good response to feeds with rapid body weight gain. Excellent meat quality, low fat content. The ability to use a Simmental bull as a draft force could also be considered a plus if someone needed it today.
Milk productivity, which directly depends on the quality of feed, is already one of the disadvantages of the breed. As well as frequent problems during the first calving, since the calf is born large and can weigh 50 kg.
Farmer reviews about the breed
Conclusion
The Simmental breed of cows is ideal for private owners who want to receive their own meat and milk. Although the amount of milk that a cow gives per day is not very large, soon even chickens and pigs will get some of the milk. At the same time, there will always be dairy products in the house.
